Barber on Walnut Tree Safety Issue

[unimaginative2]

And now for something serious - falling walnuts and pine cones


JOHN BARBER

October 24, 2007

Thank goodness all that maundering about the future of the city is over with and council can get back to important business - such as the future of two black walnut trees thriving in a Scarborough yard, the owners of which have applied to cut down said trees.

Having refused the same request three times already, council was naturally eager to devote a few hours to the fourth request, this one based on the claim that falling walnuts were endangering the children who played beneath the trees.

"Walnuts do fall," parks czarina Brenda Librecz solemnly informed council, beginning thoughtfully with elemental concepts, "and they certainly do cause a little bruise."

Ouch! "But the risk," Ms. Librecz went on to assure nervous public guardians, "is manageable."

"Are legal staff aware of any lawsuits resulting from injuries caused by falling walnuts hitting either children or seniors?" asked Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, cross-examining on behalf of the threatened trees.

"People have been hit with falling walnuts, yes," Ms. Librecz admitted. "But," she added, repeating the essential assurance, "it is a manageable situation."

City bankrupt, staff say. But falling walnut risk "manageable." You'd think that would be a good enough headline, but Toronto councillors were determined to dig deeper.

"These walnuts that fall," Councillor Gloria Lindsay-Luby said, her eyes narrowing with penetrating insight, "are they edible?"

"I believe they are, yes," Ms. Librecz replied.

"So you could gather them and maybe put them in a salad?" the politician queried.

"Absolutely!"

The impact of this revelation was such to throw the entire council into disarray, forcing Speaker Sandra Bussin repeatedly to demand order before Ms. Lindsay-Luby could resume her inquiries.

"I get calls from people who want to chop down Austrian pine trees because pine cones fall and they say it's dangerous," she said. "Do you think pine cones are dangerous?"

"Well, no," Ms. Librecz replied. "Apples fall too, and I guess that's where Newton discovered his, errr...."

Impatient with the halting physics lessons, Ms. Linday-Luby forged ahead. "And with pine cones, you can actually gather them up and make Christmas displays, right?"

"Absolutely!" Ms. Librecz again replied. "Our responsibility is to protect the tree coverage in the city and we certainly try to do proper due diligence around the issues people raise."

But what about leaves? "Have we had any concerns about leaves falling?" the dogged Etobicoker asked.

Order, please. Councillor Doug Holyday has the floor - and somebody must pay.

"You, Councillor Lindsay-Luby," he spat, "you talk about nut salad. Perhaps you've had one too many!"

More order, please.

"I'll withdraw that," the former mayor of Etobicoke apologized. "I'm sorry I mentioned about Councillor Lindsay-Luby's NUT SALAD!"

"This is such an important debate," Councillor Karen Stintz pronounced.

"I'm just trying to avoid the issue of injured children," tree-slaying Councillor Chin Lee declared.

Don't laugh, Councillor Mark Grimes added. "Being an owner of a house that had a black walnut in the backyard I can tell you it is a dirty, dirty tree, and the walnuts come down like bombs."

Typically, Mayor David Miller wiggled his way out of the controversy, scuttling off while walnut bombs exploded all about him, disappearing into his inner sanctum.

And that's what happened yesterday.

jbarber@globeandmail.com

 

[unimaginative2]

Annoyed residents say nuts to tree bylaw


After heated debate, council denies request to remove `killer tree'
Oct 24, 2007 04:30 AM
John Spears
CITY HALL BUREAU

After debating the city's financial future all day and all evening Monday, Toronto council took 35 minutes yesterday to debate, among other things, whether walnuts are edible.

At stake was the future of a Scarborough walnut tree.

Tree owner Cheryl Ots and a neighbour complained that falling walnuts threaten the safety of residents of both houses – including the neighbour's 2- and 3-year-old children, and Ots's 87-year-old mother.

"A good whack from one of those fruits is probably going to see the end of her," Ots said in an interview.

The city's tree bylaw requires owners of mature trees to get city permission to cut them down. City foresters said the tree is healthy and could live for another century or more.

Councillor Chin Lee (Ward 41, Scarborough-Rouge River), who represents the area, said Ots is willing to plant four new trees to replace the walnut.

But Councillor Shelley Carroll (Ward 33, Don Valley East) poured scorn on her colleagues who seek exemptions from the bylaw, saying they portray the city as being "full of killer trees."

"The only people who are going to support Councillor Lee's motion are those who are not environmentalists," she said.

Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre) inquired whether the walnuts are edible "so you can gather them and put them in a salad."

That brought a sharp retort from Councillor Doug Holyday (Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre: "You talk about walnut salad; maybe you've had one too many."

Holyday said the tree bylaw has contributed to the city's budget problems because more staff had to be hired to enforce it.

Councillor Karen Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence) said the bylaw's intent is to protect the overall tree canopy.

"Sometimes you don't protect that canopy by saying: `No tree removal at any time under any circumstances,'" she said

Councillor Mark Grimes (Ward 6, Etobicoke-Lakeshore) said he's lived with black walnuts before: "It is a dirty, dirty tree, and they come down like bombs," he said.

But Councillor Joe Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) said that's not the issue: "This is a vote about whether you believe in the urban forest or not."

Brenda Librecz, the city's general manager of parks, said safety has not been a big problem.

"Walnuts do fall, and they could cause a little bruise," Librecz conceded.

"But certainly from our experience, if you manage your landscaping well this is not going to pose a serious risk ...

"People have been hit with falling walnuts, yes, but it certainly is a manageable situation."

She said Ots had sought permission to cut the tree on three previous occasions; the last time it was because of an insect infestation.

Council voted 29 to 13 to preserve the tree.

Ots said she's suffering because she plays by the rules. Nearby residents have simply cut trees without asking the city's permission, she said.

But a city official has told her she could be fined $10,000 if she chops down her tree.

"With the bylaw, our hands are tied," she said.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Tree owner Cheryl Ots and a neighbour complained that falling walnuts threaten the safety of residents of both houses – including the neighbour's 2- and 3-year-old children, and Ots's 87-year-old mother.

"A good whack from one of those fruits is probably going to see the end of her," Ots said in an interview.

She sounds like she wants it to happen...are we sure she's not talking about her mother-in-law?

 

[Hydrogen]

I wonder how many people have heart attacks raking leaves? Imagine what that could pose to the city?

Falling nuts, indeed!

 

[Sir Novelty Fashion]

On days like this, John Barber is my hero.

 

[unimaginative2]

He's the city council columnist. With that kind of material, how could you not be?

 

[Urban Shocker]

Where were the legions of tree-huggers when the five mature mulberry trees outside the Hummingbird Centre were clearcut last summer?

They were two weeks away from giving birth ... to deliciously sweet fruit - I should've started a Beez-like thread about their murder ...